The present invention relates to aminofunctional silicone compositions that produce useful, curable foams and coatings, and to a method for preparing foams.
Curable silicone coating compositions are well known. Especially pertinent to the present invention among such coatings are the curable silicone compositions disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,518, issued Mar. 30, 1982 to J. Blizzard and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. In said U.S. patent, there are disclosed compositions comprising: (1) certain liquid copolymeric organopolysiloxanes comprising SiO.sub.4/2 units, silicon-bonded hydroxyl radicals and/or silicon-bonded hydrogen radicals; and (2) polydiorganosiloxanes in which the organic radical substituents are monovalent hydrocarbon radicals, with each polydiorganosiloxane containing, on average, at least 2 vinyl radicals or silicon-bonded hydroxyl radicals.
The use of aminofunctional silicone compositions to provide coatings is also known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,085,908, issued Apr. 16, 1963, discloses a process for treating metal surfaces with aminofunctional silicones.
By aminofunctional silicone it is meant herein a polyorganosiloxane substituted with at least one alkyl radical bearing at least one amino group. Said alkyl radical is bonded to a silicon atom by a Si--C bond. The term aminofunctional silicone as used herein is intended to encompass silicones having alkyl radicals bearing one or more amino group.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,424, issued Nov. 28, 1967, discloses aminofunctional copolymeric silicones that are useful as coatings.
None of the above three patents disclose compositions that can be used to produce foams. Moreover, the compositions of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,085,908 and 3,355,424 are mainly suitable for thin, corrosion protective films and are not suitable for thicker coatings.